Making It Worse (Oblivious Universe)
by sammy1026
Summary: A one-shot that takes place in Mari's Oblivious universe


I was inspired to post my first fic here after reading Mari's AMAZING story, Oblivious. (If you haven't read it yet go and do so immediately) After being LUCKY enough to make friends with her, and bond over our shared points of view, I got up the nerve to ask her if she would allow me to write a story within the marvelous Oblivious universe she has created. I was beyond THRILLED, and more than a little HONORED, when she agreed. I can only hope to do half as much justice to her wonderful fic world as she does. THANKS, MARI!

The wonderfully rich and textured universe in this fic belongs to Mari. So does McGarrett-itis. The storyline is all that's mine.

* * *

Danny, Chin & Kono stood around the smart table, looking apprehensively at the offending item currently laying in the middle of it. It had been delivered by a female paper carrier about an hour ago. Danny, who had been the first person she encountered upon entering the office, insisted to her they didn't get the paper delivered, but she claimed this was a special edition and she wanted to bring it to Commander McGarrett personally. After he assured her multiple times that Steve wasn't in she finally, reluctantly, handed it over to him.

'_I'll just jot my number down here on the back in case he has any questions,' she told Danny with a giggle and a wink. "Tell him he can call me anytime."_

"Do you think he knew about this?" Kono asked uneasily.

"He didn't mention anything to me, and this definitely seems like something he would mention." Danny said.

Chin nodded in agreement. "How do you think he's gonna react?"

"He's not going to be happy." Kono shook her head. "I can pretty much guarantee that."

"I'm less worried about his reaction than Catherine's." Danny grimaced as he and Chin shared a worried look.

"Nah," Kono defended her friend. "She's used to this kind of thing. She'll take it like a pro."

Danny looked at her skeptically, his reply cut off by the arrival of the man himself. Three faces turned to look at him anxiously.

"What?" Steve asked, instantly on alert.

"Is it possible you forgot to mention something….important….that was happening today?" Danny reached for the item in the middle of the table and slid it towards himself.

"Catherine's back from her reserve drill today," Steve said, puzzled by the looks on their faces. "But you guys knew that."

"Yes, that we knew," Danny smirked. "I personally have been counting down the days till Ramboette returns from playing war games and your mood improves. Did you by chance forget….something else?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Steve asserted.

Danny picked up the current issue of Oahu Weekender off the table and held it up toward Steve. The headline screamed 'Oahu's 10 Most Eligible Bachelors'.

"So? What does that have to do with me?" Steve's forehead wrinkled in confusion.

Chin and Danny shook their heads.

Completely. Oblivious.

"Boss," Kono said, unable to hide the amusement in her voice. "Who do you suppose the number one most eligible bachelor on the list is?"

"I have no idea." Steve was being complete honest.

Kono grabbed the magazine from Danny, flipped through the pages till she came to the one trumpeting #1 and showing a picture of Steve clearly taken at a crime scene. She held it up for him see. "It's you."

She handed Steve the magazine and walked away laughing.

* * *

"Who comes up with this stuff?" Steve asked incredulously.

He was sitting at his desk, staring at the short article while Danny laughed from his seat on the couch.

"_Piercing eyes….sculpted shoulders…rugged charm…"_

"How dare they," Danny chuckled.

"How can you laugh at this? They never asked….no one ever called…this is insane. They shouldn't be allowed to do this."

Danny grinned as he listened to Steve rant.

"Apparently someone at Oahu Weekender is a member of your fan club."

"You're not helping, Danny."

"Right…..I'm sorry…how could I have been so thoughtless. Being named most eligible bachelor on the island must be very hard. Do you need to take the day to recover from this nightmare?"

"You're not funny."

"Yes, I am. You're just having trouble seeing it today."

Steve's eyes grew wide as he read the last few lines. _'While he's often seen in the company of perky brunette Katherine Rollins, we can't help but notice there's not a ring in sight. The way we see, until there is he's fair game.'_

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that part," Danny smirked. "How do you suppose your girlfriend is gonna like that?"

Steve was saved from having to reply by the buzzing of his phone. He smiled when he saw it was Catherine.

"Hey," he said with a grin. "You home?"

"I wish," Catherine groaned. "We're still stuck in LA with plane trouble. If they don't fix it soon I swear I'm swimming back."

"You ok?"

"Yeah. It's just…I'm tired and I'm cranky and I'm stuck in travel hell."

Steve sighed sympathetically. "Just try to relax. You'll be home before you know it."

"I hope you're right. I just want to crawl into bed and sleep for two days."

"Two days?" Steve laughed.

"At least. Anything exciting going on there?"

Steve placed the magazine face down on his desk as though hiding the cover would make the article disappear. "Nope. Nothing. Just another day at the office."

"Ok. I'll call when we finally take off. If that ever happens." Catherine cast an annoyed glance at the airline counter.

"Hang in there. I'll talk to you soon."

"Catherine ok?" Danny asked as Steve disconnected the call and stuffed his phone back in his pocket.

"Yeah. Her plane is stuck in LA with engine trouble and she's a little cranky."

"I have a feeling she's gonna get crankier when she sees that article."

"You're not helping anything, Danny."

* * *

Catherine finally landed in Hawaii after two very long weeks away. Her plan was to grab a cab, stop by HQ to see Steve for a few minutes, then head home for a warm bath and a nice long nap on the beach. She stopped near the airport newsstand to call and let him know she was finally back on the island. Just as she pulled her phone out of her pocket his familiar face lit up the screen. She heard a giggle coming from the woman next to her but ignored it.

"Hey," she said as she answered.

"Hey yourself."

"Your timing is perfect. We just landed a few minutes ago."

"I know. I'm out front."

"Really?" Catherine beamed. "How did you know what time we were gonna land?"

"I called the airline."

"You're very sweet," Catherine smiled. "I could have grabbed a cab though."

"I know you've had a rough day. The last thing you need is a ride in a smelly cab. Besides, I couldn't wait to see you. I missed you."

"I missed you too," she said seductively. "I'll be right out."

As she disconnected the call the woman beside her spoke. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be rude but I noticed the picture on your phone when it rang. Was that really Commander McGarrett?"

"Yes," Catherine answered slowly. The woman appeared to be in her mid-20's, with platinum blonde hair, blindingly white teeth and enormous breasts.

"As in Oahu's Most Eligible Bachelor?"

Catherine looked at her with a puzzled expression and the woman pointed to the magazine cover staring back from the newsstand.

"The very one," Catherine said hesitantly. She was dying to pick up the magazine and look at the article but she decided against it.

"You really know him?" The woman was slightly awestruck.

"Yes." Catherine left it at that. She was in no mood to discuss the details of her relationship with a stranger in the airport.

"I never do this….I mean I'm usually not this kind of girl…. but….would you…I mean…." The woman pulled a business card from her pocket. "Can you give him my card and tell him to give me a call sometime?"

Catherine stood slack-jawed as the woman slipped the card into her hand then immediately turned and walked away. She glanced at the card and saw the woman's name was Tyffanie.

Of course it was.

* * *

She exited the airport with her duffel bag slung over her shoulder and immediately saw Steve leaning against a pillar, smiling that smile that never failed to melt her heart.

"Hey, need a ride?" he teased.

"From Oahu's most eligible bachelor? Are you sure I'm worthy?"

As she reached his side he turned her till her back was against the pillar and kissed her passionately. He wasn't usually big on public displays of affection, neither was she, but it had been a very long two weeks.

He pulled back and rested his forehead against hers.

"You saw that, huh? I swear I didn't know anything about it."

Catherine laughed.

"It was just a matter of time I suppose. Here," she handed him the business card. "Some bleach blonde 25 year old with fake boobs and blinding veneers wanted me to give you this. Said you should call her anytime. And oh yeah…her name is Tyffanie. One y two fs."

Steve took the card and tossed it in the nearby trash can. "Put your claws away, kitty. I had nothing to do with this and if they'd asked you know I would have said no."

Catherine laughed. "I know. I'm just tired."

"Let's get you home then."

* * *

They had barely cleared airport property when Danny called. Three dead bodies had been discovered at an apartment just off the university campus.

"I'm sorry, Cath. This one sounds big. We might need you."

"Not a problem," she assured him. Over the years she'd gotten used to operating on very little sleep when necessary.

"Thanks," he reached across and squeezed her hand. "I'll get you out as soon as possible so you can go home and sleep. I promise."

By the time Steve and Catherine arrived the rest of the 5-0 team was already there and the area was buzzing with activity. They assessed the scene and talked to the first responders. There were three bodies, all dead of gunshot wounds. There was also an untouched pizza on the floor right inside the door that was still warm. It appeared to have been delivered by the Pizza Express down the street.

Steve stood outside talking to the team and waiting to hear Max's preliminary findings. After circling the group nervously for a few minutes a woman approached. She looked to be in her early forties. Dressed casually in a sweatshirt and jeans but both Catherine and Kono noticed the freshly applied red lipstick.

"Commander McGarrett?"

"Yes."

"Hi, my name is Molly Simpson. I'm the building manager."

Steve turned to face her. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Yes," she shifted nervously from foot to foot,fidgeting with the papers in her hand. "One of the detectives…..um…he asked me to pull the lease for apartment 4c and…I did that."

"Thank you," Steve smiled.

Molly thrust the papers into Steve's hand. "I wanted to give it to you…..personally."

"Ok. Thanks again." Molly didn't move. "Is there something else?"

Danny and Chin stared at their shoes in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid laughing.

"I just wanted to say that…..if you need anything else…..I'm in apartment 1A."

"Ok. Thanks."

"Such a tragic thing. But I'm always eager to do my civic duty, Commander. Don't hesitate to come knock on my door if you need anything at all."

Steve nodded. Molly walked away, looking back at him over her shoulder the whole way to the front door.

"And trust me….she means anything," Kono said, fighting a smile as Catherine put her hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh, which then turned into a yawn.

Steve was saved by the approach of the medical examiner.

"I have names on the victims," Max said, reading off a piece of paper he had scrawled notes on. "Two males, one female. All between 19 and 22. All dead of gunshot wounds. All three have university identification cards."

"Thanks, Max." Steve took the list of names. "Kono, why don't you and Cath take this list over to the dean's office and see what you can find out."

"Will do, Boss."

"Danny and I will go to the Pizza Express and see what they know. Chin you see if there's anything we can get from the bullet casings and fingerprints."

"Done."

The team dispersed towards their various assignments. Danny laughed as he saw Molly waving from the window as he and Steve got in the Camaro.

* * *

Catherine and Kono waited patiently as the assistant to the Dean of Students printed out the records they needed. Emma Pierson was a sweet, grandmotherly type who had been more than happy to help them. She considered the students at the university part of her family and was saddened to hear about the tragedy. She immediately made the necessary calls to obtain permission to release a limited number of student records on an emergency basis.

"So," she said as the printer droned on, "You two work for 5-0?"

"Yes," Catherine and Kono smiled.

"Must be exciting."

"Sometimes, yes." Catherine nodded.

"And it's a bonus to get to work with someone like Commander McGarrett." She picked up a copy of the Oahu Weekender from her desk. "Hard to believe he's still single. I would have thought some pretty young thing would have snapped him up years ago."

Catherine and Kono shared amused looks. Catherine's curiosity finally got the best of her and she picked up the magazine and began leafing through it.

"I'm not asking for myself you understand. No no no. I'm a happily married woman. But I have a single daughter."

"I think the printer is done," Catherine said, eager to change the subject.

"It is indeed." Emma removed the papers from the printer tray, placed them in a folder, then after thinking a second scribbled something on a lime green post it note and placed it on the inside cover.

Catherine took one last look at the picture of Steve then started to place the magazine back on Emma's desk. "Thanks for all your help."

"My pleasure." Emma indicated the magazine. "You can keep that if you want. I have other copies."

* * *

From what they could see the only thing the three students had in common was that they were all in the same Biochemistry class. Other than that nothing jumped out. But maybe when they looked deeper. Armed with class schedules and home addresses they headed back to HQ to meet the rest of the team.

Catherine opened the folder Emma had put together for them and snorted with laughter.

"What?" Kono looked to try and see what Catherine found so amusing.

"Emma wrote her phone number on the green post-it."

"Apparently no one is immune from McGarrett-itis. You're not mad are you?"

"Nah, I'm used to it. Maybe not to this degree….but it happens all the time. Last week we were out to dinner and the hostess slipped Steve her number while I was sitting right next to him."

"Some people have nerve."

"They sure do. This article will make it even worse for a while I'm sure." Catherine picked up the magazine and turned to the page about Steve.

"Huh."

"I know right?"

"They spelled my name wrong."

"I noticed that. Do you think they did it on purpose?"

"Hard to tell. Maybe. But you know what's even worse?"

"Yep. They called you perky," Kono grinned. Of all the things about this situation she knew that would be the one that would get under Catherine's skin.

"Right. I am NOT perky."

"Definitely not." Kono smiled as she watched Catherine flip through the pages and look at the other bachelors. "You know what I think is cool?"

"What?"

"That even more women than usual are throwing themselves at your boyfriend based on this article and the thing that bothers you is that they called you perky."

"Sometimes you just have to draw the line," Catherine smiled, then yawned.

* * *

Halfway back to HQ Steve called and let them know that the pizza delivery man had barricaded himself inside the Pizza Express and was threatening to kill himself and the other employees. SWAT was on the scene trying to defuse the situation.

As Catherine & Kono pulled up they saw Danny leaning against the Camaro laughing as he looked across the parking lot at Steve, who was backed up against the SWAT van by two women in Pizza Express uniforms.

"Who are they?" Catherine asked as they reached Danny, indicating the women with a nod.

"They were in the shop when the guy came in but managed to escape out the back."

"Do they have any idea what made him start shooting?"

"I do not know. They made it very clear they would prefer to give their statements to Steve," Danny smirked. "And only Steve."

Catherine leaned against the car beside Danny and hung her head. "Hey, hey, we're just kidding around. You know this will blow over right?"

Danny knew Catherine always took the women throwing themselves at Steve with good humor but everyone has their limit.

"What? Oh..no…yeah…that's fine. I'm just so tired."

Danny wrapped his arm around Catherine affectionately. They watched as Steve extricated himself from the women and approached them.

"Ok so apparently the dead girl is the delivery guy's ex-girlfriend. It looks like he got to the apartment, saw her with the two men, and started shooting."

"The pizza delivery guy was armed?"

"They said he kept a gun under the seat of his car to protect against robberies."

"We know that all three victims were in the same Biochemistry class," Catherine said as she opened up the folder and checked the info Emma had given them. "According to the syllabus there's an exam scheduled for next Monday. Maybe they were studying?"

"Could be," Steve agreed.

Danny watched warily as one of the witnesses Steve had just managed to escape from approached the group. Her brown hair was pulled up in a tight ponytail and she had what Danny had come to think of as a surfer's physique. "I forgot to give you my number, Commander McGarrett. You can call anytime. I'll be happy to fix you up with some free pizza and any other goodies you might want."

"Um, thanks but I really can't accept gifts. I'm just doing my job." Steve declined the card.

Danny shook his head.

Steve truly was absolutely clueless.

* * *

After two hours Grover and his team were able to talk the shooter into giving up without anyone else getting hurt. The man had been transported to HPD and now they were just tying up a few loose ends at the crime scene.

"I think that woman is trying to get your attention," Steve told Catherine as he noticed a woman in a bikini top and jeans waving her hand in their direction.

Catherine looked up. "I'm pretty sure it's not my attention she wants," she laughed.

Chin finished up talking to a few people in the crowd who had encountered the man on his way into the shop then approached Steve with a barely concealed smile. "The woman over there in the blue bikini top would like to know if you'll sign her chest."

"Who would…..why would anyone….." Steve stammered.

"What should I tell her?" Chin teased.

"Tell her no thanks."

"She'll be crushed." Chin walked away laughing.

"Listen Cath, give me 10 minutes to wrap this up and then we'll go home. You can get a hot shower and finally get some rest. I'll even make you something to eat."

"Pancakes?" Catherine asked hopefully.

"Anything you want."

"Sounds like a plan to me."

He smiled softly and squeezed her hand. "I really missed you."

"I really missed you too. Maybe after the long hot shower and the pancakes you can show me how much you missed me."

"Or maybe you can get some sleep so you don't doze off halfway through," he smiled. "Then when you wake up I'll show you how much I missed you."

"You're too good to me, Commander."

* * *

Steve tried hard to stay out of the clutches of the local reporter covering the story. He'd hoped to have Grover do the live breaking news wrap up today but no such luck. He recited the basic details of the crime and apprehension then said the HPD would hold a press conference with more details later in the day.

"Thank you, Commander. While I have you here," the pretty young journalist who always made it a point to seek out 5-0 for her live reports laid her hand on Steve's forearm. "Do you care to comment on how it feels to be named Oahu's most eligible bachelor?"

Steve glared at her. "Not really. Except to say I wish someone had asked me before they did it."

"Why's that, Commander? Aren't you flattered?"

"It's not a matter of being flattered. It's a matter of…..trust me….I'm not the guy for the position."

"Do you have another breaking news story for us, Commander? Are you going to crush every female heart on Oahu and tell us you're no longer available?"

"I'm telling you my relationship is not a public matter. I don't appreciate being gossiped about. And I would most definitely not expose any woman I care about to that kind of treatment. "

The young reporter looked crestfallen. "Thanks for your time, Commander."

"You're welcome."

Steve smiled softly at Cath as he walked towards the team who were waiting for him just out of camera range.

"You know what the problem is with what he just did?" Danny asked with an affectionate smile.

"Yep. He made it worse," Catherine grinned.

"Much, much worse. Now they think he's respectful and gallant on top of everything else," Kono agreed.

"Yep. As soon as this interview airs we're going to be looking at an alarming increase in the number of cases of McGarrett-it is," Chin chuckled.

Danny agreed. "All containment efforts will be futile."


End file.
